The Lucky Kid

This post brought back a memory for me. It was 1979 and the year before my wife and I were finally able to buy a new car. A beautiful black and tan Mercury Zephyr. The following year an elder lady backed out of a space at the local plaza and crunched my driver's side front fender. I was upset as the car was barely 14 months old but agreed to get a couple estimates and she would give me the money. I went to 2 body shops for estimates and took them to the lady and she wrote me a check for the higher estimate. The total cost of parts and paint, of the estimate, was $800.
I took the car to a friend of mine who said he could save me some money and left the car in his hands. He called 2 days later and said the Zephyr was ready. I asked how he was able to do it so quickly and he said, a lot of good luck. It seems a local salvage yard had an identical car with right side damage and he got all parts needed for $100 bucks. His total bill was $200 so that left me a profit of $600.
On my drive home I started to feel guilty of a crime so I stopped at the lady's house and handed her $500 in cash. She was a happy person that day and I felt better about myself.
When I think of that day I can still see how happy she was but I do feel guilty for keeping the extra $100. My family probably needed that cash as much or more than she did but it wasn't mine to keep.
It is strange how some things haunt you even after 46 years.